(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011-10)
Bridges, David; Rust, Carl; Galewski, Nancy
In 2009, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) was approached by several smaller colleges and universities in the United States for commercialization assistance. Since that
time, Georgia Tech, a national leader in intellectual property creation and
commercialization, has been attempting to replicate its successful faculty
spin
-
off
program,
VentureLab, at these smaller cohorts. This effort is rooted in the belief that
spin
-
off
worthy
innovation exists at smaller colleges and universities without a process to reach fruition,
limiting the potential economic impact of federally sponsored innovation. Academic
publications around university commercialization and faculty spin-offs suggest various
variables which influence the outcome of university technology transfer efforts. This paper
discusses these variables and others in the context of our efforts with interviews at eleven
institutions. The findings suggest additional factors
for consideration in the replication of
large university commercialization programs at resource constrained, smaller colleges and
universities.
(Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute, 2009-08-08)
King, Dana; Galewski, Nancy; Green, Randy; Lytle, Andrea; Wilkins, Joy
From September 2008 through February 2009, the Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2) conducted a series of focus groups and a survey of businesses regarding how they use, or would like to use, e-commerce activities to expand their business operations. The survey and focus group responses resulted in these primary findings: businesses have limited financial resources to pursue their desired e-commerce activities; to enhance their e-commerce knowledge, businesses have a strong interest in a classroom-based learning experience and a comprehensive Web site learning resource; many businesses have questions about how to determine which electronic tools professional service providers and other resources are the best to use to expand their e-commerce activities; and, broadband access remains a challenge for rural Georgia’s ability to maximize businesses’ full ecommerce and thus, their full market potential. These findings confirm that businesses throughout Georgia would benefit from more learning opportunities, and the continued pursuit of funding opportunities to enhance broadband connectivity throughout the state.